Chris and his wife are about to fly to Budapest for a 15-day, 14-night river cruise to Amsterdam. This voyage is coined the Grand European Tour and travels throughout the heart of Europe, often docking in small towns along the way. Chris talks about the Viking River Cruise pre-cruise experience, getting there, and what to expect along the voyage.
Be on the show: doug@cruiseradio.net.
Chris drops by this episode to chat with us about the where the river cruise industry is at and where it's going.
Sherry Kennedy links up with us this week from Europe where she just stepped off Avalon Waterways' Artistry II. She was sailing on a seven-night Northern Holland and Tulips cruise. This is a seasonal sailing that Avalon offers.
This week I had a chance to chat with Vanessa Lee, river cruise expert, and Godmother of the Avalon Vista. I've known of Vanessa for years and finally had a chance to meet her on a Holland America sailing in 2016, we quickly became friends.
We chat about:
We link up with Sherry Kennedy who is in chilly Zurich, Switzerland this week. Sherry is about to embark on a seven-night European river cruise on Rhine river. She talks to us about her pre-cruise stay and gives us some important tips.
Sherry chats with us about:
When people think of Disney, they don't normally think of a European river cruise. Thanks to a partnership that Ama Waterways has with Adventures By Disney, Disney now has you covered with ocean AND river cruises.
We first spoke with the owner of Ama Waterways a few weeks ago to talk about the program, now we're getting a review of an Adventures by Disney river cruise on the brand new Ama Kristina.
We’re back this week, but with a twist. This week I’m being interviewed about my Douro river cruise experience in Portugal. We discuss getting from Florida to Portugal, what life was like onboard, the tours offered, and the food. Special thanks goes to Richard Simms for taking the time to interview me.
This week we are broadcasting live in Porto, Portugal with CroisiEuope River Cruises as they christen the brand new MS Miguel Torga. The Miguel Torga sails six to eight-night cruises along the Douro River across Portugal. The Douro River is known for its scenic views and wine trails. We discuss the ship itself, the services offered onboard, dining, tours, and who is CroisiEurope River Cruises is for.
Chris Owen joins us to answer a listener question from Alex. Alex needs help on where to start when it comes to buying his parents a river cruise for Christmas. This will be their first river cruise and Chris helps him make an informed decision.
This week we're heading over to Portugal for the christening of CroisiEurope River Cruises' newest river ship. But before I left, I asked Chris Owen some last minute questions...an hour before I needed to be at the airport.
Chris answers my questions on:
Chris just returned from a cruise on Windstar Cruises. There aren't that many difference between a Windstar Cruise and a river cruise. Today we break that down, talking about experiences onboard, dining, off board experiences, and who this cruise is for.
Chris has our detailed planning guide to river cruising from booking it a year out to the day you leave. You'll want to follow along with this planning guide. A big lesson we learn in this episode is paying attention to air details is REALLY important.
We talk to one of the co-owners of AMA Waterways about their Adventures by Disney program and find out what it's all about.
Chris Owen returns to answer some of your listener questions on pre and post cruise packages and what amenities we find on river cruise ships.
Sherry Kennedy is with us this week to share her review of American Cruise Line's replica paddle wheeler Queen of the West. Her seven-night voyage took her to the Pacific Northwest along the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Here about her week on a paddle wheeler, the destinations, and her take the river cruise.
This week we tackle your listener questions. Chris Owen joins us to answer river cruise questions on:
1. How do the loyalty programs work on a river cruise line and are there levels like like ocean cruise lines?
We get a lesson in budgeting this week from Chris Owen. He shares with us how to make our vacation dollar go further and how it isn't impossible to save for a river cruise. It's a matter of being disciplined. From using the right credit cards to switching cable providers - there's something to learn here.
River cruises are more about the destination, not the onboard experience. We prove that again this week as Theresa shares her review of her Amawaterways luxury river cruise, the AmaDara. This river cruise ship is based in Southeast Asia and focuses on Cambodia and Vietnam. Hear her experiences in Asia, what the dining was like onboard and the unique food offerings this ship offers.
Chris joins us this week to tackle some of your river cruise questions.
There is a big difference between all the river cruise lines out there. All the brands offer something unique. Chris Owen is back to share his five things we need to know about Viking River Cruises.
Nancy Schretter from the Family Travel Network shares with us her voyage on Uniworld Cruises on a seven-night Classic Christmas Market cruise. She gives a detailed report of her voyage, her first-time tips, and what to expect on your sailing.
Today we get a review of an Adventures by Disney sailing on AMAWaterways. Not to be confused with Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney focuses mostly on offboard adventures and explorations in the ports of call. Lissa details her Adventure by Disney sailing along the Danube River in Europe.
On this episode, we talk with Chris Owen on how to book a river cruise. When most people think of booking a cruise, they think they can go online and be done with it. That is true with an ocean cruise, but river cruises are a little more hands on. Chris explains in this episode.
Kay Lynn just returned from a 12 day China tour last month which included a four-night Yangtze river cruise on the Century Diamond. She gives us a review of the river cruise, the tours they did in China, and her first time impressions of the river boat.
Chris returns with our Ask the Expert segment and talks about us about internet service and being connected on a river cruise.
This week we get a river cruise review of American Queen Steamboat Company's American Queen. We recently took a three-night voyage from New Orleans on this 19th-century steamboat and will give you a comprehensive review.
While onboard, Ted Sykes, President of American Queen Steamboat Company sat down and chatted with us about the American Queen, the history, and what makes a Mississippi River cruise so appealing.
Today we get 5 things we need to know about AMAWaterways from Sherry. Plus, on our Ask the Expert segment, Chris stops by to compare and contrasts ocean cruise sea days vs river scenic cruising.